The present invention relates generally to product packaging and/or containers that include integrated dispensing devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multiple reservoir fluid container that allows the user to introduce a metered amount of fluid from each of the reservoirs into a mixing chamber that serves to mix and apply the fluid material.
Various types of fluid material and media are employed for different purposes throughout commerce and industry. For example, there are various products in the areas of personal care, home care, air care, transportation care and food industries that require a fluid material to be dispensed in some manner from a source of such material. Further, when this material is sold in commerce, it must be contained and stored in some type of container while awaiting use. Ultimately, when that product is used, it must be dispensed from its storage container to the desired location for use.
In the prior art, there are many different types of dispensers that are employed for the delivery of a stored fluid material to their desired location for use. For example, a storage container having a flexible body with a nozzle tip extending therefrom is commonly provided for such a purpose. An example of such use can be seen in the context of a ketchup dispenser, where a user squeezes the container body to urge the fluid material (ketchup) out from container body and through the nozzle tip to accurately deposit the fluid material at the desired location. In such an application, the amount of fluid that is ultimately delivered is determined by the how much the user actually squeezes the container body. While this method has provided marginally acceptable results, this method also typically yields an erratic fluid volume since more or less fluid material may be delivered on each successive squeeze of the container body. Also, the container must be held upright to avoid leakage because no valves are employed in the fluid nozzle tip.
In another example of a prior art dispensing device, a flexible container is provided that holds a volume of fluid material to be delivered. In an attempt to overcome the leakage issue noted above, a single one-way check valve is provided at the exit port of the flexible container. When the flexible body is squeezed, the material is urged out under pressure through the valve. The difficulty here is that the valve over time becomes partially clogged thereby requiring that the user apply additional pressure to cause the valve to open. As a result, once the valve opens, the additional pressure causes more fluid material to be deposited than the user typically would have desired.
In addition to the above noted need for simply dispensing a volume of fluid material onto an available surface, there has also been a desire to help in applying them as they are dispensed, such as to a surface. In the prior art, to meet this need, the squeezable container bodies have been equipped with some type of applicator head. For example, in the personal care industry, body wash devices commonly include some type of squeezable container body and an applicator material, such as fabric or foam, applied to an outer surface thereof. In this arrangement, when the fluid material is dispensed to the exterior of the container body, it enters the applicator material and the applicator assists in spreading the fluid as desired. The use of such applicators thereby facilitates the spreading of the fluid within the applicator resulting in better and more even distribution thereof. Applicators are particularly useful for even distribution in fluids employed in the personal care industry, such as for shoe polish, hair colorant, conditioners, the like to ensure a quality even and smooth coat.
Still further, while an applicator enhances the application of dispensed fluid materials, there is a particular need for an effective device that can dispense a two component fluid material, such as for example, hair colorant. Hair colorant typically has two components, including a color and a dye, which need to be precisely mixed for good and consistent coloring results. Previously, a stylist carefully measured and dispensed the two components into a container where they were mixed and then applied to the customer's hair using a brush. There is a need for a device that can mix these two components and deliver them to a person's hair. While in the prior art, the concept of dual chambered product storage containers is not novel, the user typically had little control over the amount or rate at which the material in the two chambers was combined. In other words, in the prior art it is typically an all or nothing proposition when mixing the contents of the two chambers. In other words, the previously available prior art devices are incapable of delivering a substantially equal dose of fluid with each operation because they simply open up the container body and permit the combination of the two fluids that were previously maintained separately in the two chambers. In this context, such a lack of control is highly undesirable when a user is attempting to controllably mix products like hair colorants.
In view of the foregoing, there is need for a device that eliminates prior art dual chambered containers that suffer from various disadvantages detailed above that make them difficult and awkward to use. Further, because these prior art dispensers often provide a user with unexpected results, there is a need for a dual reservoir fluid container that includes a selective metering mechanism that is easy to operate. There is a further need for a dual fluid dispenser that operates in connection with at least two fluid reservoirs that is capable of delivering a metered amount of each of the fluids with each dispensing operation in order to produce predictable flow and a better control of the fluid material application. Many of these needs are met by commonly owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/074,817, filed on Mar. 8, 2005 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/951,351, filed on Dec. 6, 2007, which are incorporated herein by reference. This application sets forth a device for dispensing accessory liquids from at least two reservoirs in a metered fashion into a mixing chamber that then dispenses the mixed fluids to an applicator.